Designing Your Advertising Message, Page 2

 2. Create an effective advertising appeal

Here's where you can let your creative juices loose. Your advertising appeal is the message that delivers what you want your target audiences to know and remember about your product or service.

It tells what makes you different and better than your competitors.

It defines your niche in the market and speaks to your customers.

Here are some guidelines:

• Do make your appeal clear as a bell. Easy to spot. Easy to read. Easy to understand.
• Don't clutter up your message by trying to tell everything in your ad.
• Emphasize your strongest appeal.
• Leave 'em wanting more!

Here are steps to follow in crafting your appeal

1. Find at least 3 ads that are appealing to you. Think about what it is about the ads that attracts you to them and make a list of what you like.
2. Find at least 3 ads that you don't like. Think about what it is about them that you don't like, and make a list.
3. Is the ad too cluttered? Picture or graphic muddy or confusing? Too hard to read? Too hard to find?

Think about the following:

Here are three main components of persuasion: repetition, composition and association.

Repetition refers to the number of times your audience sees or hears your message. Joseph Goebbels, Hitler's PR man, observed that the information the masses trust that which is most familiar - if you repeat the message often enough, the masses will believe it.(http://books.google.com/books?id=9LsuMoEtSV4C&pg=PA182&lpg=PA182&dq=jose...).

This is why successful advertisers repeat the same message over and over, and repeat their name over and over.

A rule of thumb in advertising is that the target audience must hear or see the message at least three times in order for any impact to be made.

Composition refers to the physical makeup of the ad. It includes word choice, size, colors, pictures, graphics, music, cartoons, etc. and placement of these in the ad. Think about the elements of composition that you find appealing in the ads you like. Is it color? Is it type style? Is it graphics? Is it the wording? Is it the music?

Note: sex, violence, animals and children are among the most popular, and effective, elements of composition in this culture.

Association is the third of these three main components of persuasion. Association is the content of the ad designed to spark a positive (or negative) want or need with the product, service or idea.

For example, celebrities appear more and more in advertising. This is because customers associate celebrities with the lifestyle and popularity they would like for themselves. Celebrity ads appeal to our need for popularity/belonging and status.

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